Penn National Gaming Names Anthony Carlucci General Manager of Hollywood Casino Tunica

Penn National Gaming, Inc. (Nasdaq: PENN) announced today that effective immediately, Anthony Carlucci, 48, has been named General Manager of Hollywood Casino Tunica, subject to regulatory approval. Carlucci, most recently the Assistant General Manager at Penn National’s Boomtown Biloxi property, fills the General Manager position at Hollywood Casino Tunica previously held by John Osborne, who was named the General Manager of Penn National’s Hollywood Slots Hotel & Raceway in Bangor, Maine on September 28.

Anthony Carlucci has held various management positions in the gaming industry starting in 1982 at Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City. Carlucci moved within the Harrah’s organization and served as Director of Food and Beverage at Harrah’s Metropolis in southern Illinois from March 2001 to November 2002. Following his tenure with Harrah’s, Carlucci joined Argosy Gaming Company (which was acquired by Penn National in 2005) and from November 2002 through 2007 served as Director of Operations at Empress Casino Hotel in Joliet, Illinois. In 2007 he joined Penn National’s Boomtown Biloxi in Mississippi as Assistant General Manager. Carlucci is a registered Certified Public Accountant (in Maryland). In his new role, Anthony Carlucci will be responsible for all facets of operations at Hollywood Casino Tunica.

Thomas P. Burke, Senior Vice President Regional Operations of Penn National Gaming, commented, "Anthony brings a strong financial background and wealth of operational experience to his new role as General Manager of Hollywood Casino Tunica. Throughout his 27 year career in the gaming industry, Anthony has assumed increasing levels of responsibility in areas such as casino floor management, hotel management and food and beverage management and has developed excellent human resources skills. Anthony has built a solid reputation as a talented and dedicated executive and we have been very impressed with his contributions in Biloxi. We look for Anthony to build upon John Osborne’s success at Hollywood Casino Tunica and to maintain a high level of involvement for the property in the community.”

About Penn National Gaming

Penn National Gaming owns and operates gaming and racing facilities with a focus on slot machine entertainment. The Company presently operates nineteen facilities in fifteen jurisdictions, including Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ontario. In aggregate, Penn National’s operated facilities feature over 26,300 gaming machines, approximately 400 table games, over 2,000 hotel rooms and over 959,000 square feet of gaming floor space.

In addition to historical facts or statements of current conditions, this press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements reflect the Company’s current expectations and beliefs but are not guarantees of future performance. As such actual results may vary materially from expectations. Meaningful factors that could cause actual results to differ from expectations are disclosed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K as filed with the SEC. The Company does not intend to update publicly any forward-looking statements except as required by law.